Making sure that smokepole goes off!!!!

[Adam Helmer]

54roundball,

What are your trying to do? Why do you shoot the percussion rifle "once the night before?" Now you have a dirty bore that is rusting if you used BP.

I have used percussion rifles for 35 years and think I am doing it right since I have had 100% sure fire with them all. I clean my percussion arm after firing, lightly oil it and stand it muzzle down. On the day of the hunt, I run two dry patches down the bore, snap two caps, load and go hunting. My CCI caps are non-corrosive so I can leave the arm loaded all week with no worries.

The Lyman Black Powder Handbook pretty much uses my SOP, and vice versa. I cannot see any reason to fire your arm the night before the hunt. If you do, why do you need to snap caps next day?

Adam